


Saw You From Afar

by Hella_Queer



Category: Free! Eternal Summer - Fandom
Genre: M/M, Rin and Sousuke are 13, This is late and I'm sorry, sourinweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-04
Updated: 2016-02-04
Packaged: 2018-05-18 03:29:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5896420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hella_Queer/pseuds/Hella_Queer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A new friend could become something more. </p><p> </p><p>Day 1/Paper(Never Met au)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Saw You From Afar

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time participating in sourinweek and I'm very excited to see how it goes. (Also my entries will probably be late because I'm already behind. Sorry!)

 

 

Rin knew every kid who lived in _Sasabe Towers_ , the apartment building by the beach that he called home. It wasn't hard to keep track, since there were only a handful of them. He and his younger sister Gou lived with their mother in 7D.

Below them in 6D lived Haru, his grandmother, and his best friend Makoto. Makoto used to live on the first floor with his mom and dad, but when his mom had twins, his parents bought a small house to fit their growing family. Makoto didn't want to leave his friends, so Haru's grandmother had allowed him to live with them.

A floor below them was Nagisa. He, his parents, and three older sisters all lived together in 4G. Rin wasn't sure how six people managed to share one apartment without ripping each other apart. It felt pretty cramped sometimes with just three people, let alone six.

Rei _said_ that he lived with his parents in 3C, but no one could remember seeing them. The boy was only eleven, and even though he was some kind of mini genius, he still wasn't allowed to rent a unit on his own. Rin assumed that they worked a lot, meaning that Rei had to take care of himself most times.

Ai and Momo, cousins by some kind of marriage, lived with Momo's older brother on the second floor. They were reasonably behaved for eight year olds, though Momo could be very exhausting in long doses.

The kids usually flocked together, playing tag in the hallway, playing pranks on Sasabe-san, the building owner and manager. He tried to act upset whenever he found melted cheese in his pockets or silly string in his shoes, but it was no secret that Sasabe-san adored the kids.

The absolute best part about the place was the pool out back. Only residents of _Sasabe Towers_ had access to it, but most adults preferred the indoor pool where the hot tub was. That was just fine in Rin's opinion. The indoor pool was too small and felt more like swimming in soup. The pool outside was long and refreshing; he couldn't even feel the cold after a few good laps.

Rin had a perfect view of the pool from his balcony, and sometimes, like now for instance, he would sit outside and listen to the music of passing cars as he gazed at the still water.

**_SPLASH!_ **

...the normally still water.

Rin's eyes scanned the pool and caught sight of black hair passing underwater. He smiled a little, thinking of Haru. The two would sometimes swim together in the mornings on the weekend, but Rin knew that the freestyle swimmer liked being alone with his element.

He cupped his hands around his mouth and started to call out to his friend—then stopped immediately and jumped to his feet. The figure in the pool was positively, absolutely, one hundred and ten percent _not_ Haru.

Rin had known the boy for years, but it only took one conversation to learn that Nanase Haruka _only_ _swam free_. It was the one thing the stoic boy wouldn't shut up about. And the figure in the pool was most definitely not swimming freestyle. They were swimming butterfly.

"Where are you going?!" Gou shouted after him as Rin sped by, swimsuit, cap and goggles in hand. He didn't pause to respond as he closed the door behind him and took the stairs instead of the elevator.

None of his friends swam butterfly, and the person in the pool didn't look like an adult. This could only mean one thing.

Someone new had moved in.

-^-

Rin had never changed so fast in his life. He was eager to meet someone new for a change, but even more eager to get a good race in his signature stroke. His freestyle wasn't bad, but losing to Haru when the boy didn't even seem to be trying got pretty annoying.

As he jogged over to the gate he saw the swimmer—a boy—come out of the pool. Rin was struck by bright teal eyes as the boy looked over to him.

"Hello," he said, his expression neutral.

"H-hey," Rin said, glancing away, feeling like a spy. Here he was chasing down some kid he had never met after seeing him swim from his balcony. He sounded like a creep even to himself!

"You're good at butterfly," he said after a period of awkward silence. "I saw you from my balcony. Not that I was spying or anything! A lot of the units here can see the pool, not just mine."

Rin knew he was blushing like a lobster but he couldn't help it. Making small talk had never been this hard, not even with Haruka the human statue.

"I saw you, too," the boy said, looking at something over Rin's shoulder. "When I dived I saw bright red up on the wall and thought a piece of the sun had fallen to earth."

Rin huffed a laugh. "C'mon, man, it isn't that bad." The boy laughed with him, and some of the tension evaporated.

"I'm Matsuoka, by the way. Matsuoka Rin."

"Yamazaki Sousuke."

The two shook hands; Rin maintaining eye contact like Sasabe-san had taught him. Apparently it would seal any business deal.

"You're new here," Rin said, dipping his foot into the water. "I know everyone who lives here, and there's never been a Yamazaki before."

"Yeah, we just moved in today." Sousuke kneeled next to the edge of the pool and ran his fingers across the top of the water. "I didn't feel like unpacking so I told my parents I was going to meet the neighbors." He smiled to himself. "They didn't even notice I had my swimming gear."

Rin found himself smiling in response. "You wanna race, Yamazaki?"

Sousuke looked up at him, crystal eyes hopeful. "You swim butterfly?"

"Best in the building," Rin said proudly. Sousuke smirked and stood up, facing him.

"Second best now that I'm here."

"As if!"

The two hurried to put on their caps and goggles, then lined up on the edge of the pool. They didn't have starting blocks, but neither of them cared as they counted down and dove into the water.

It was too close a call to tell who really won, so they decided on a rematch. And then another one. Before long, Rin forgot that they were racing, and let himself enjoy spending time with his new friend.

For that moment in time, things felt perfect.

-^-

Things became less perfect three weeks later when school started up again. Sousuke was quite popular as the new student, and their classmates talked his ear off whenever class wasn't in session. It was impossible for Rin to get near him, and he felt a little ticked off. Sousuke had been _his_ friend first.

"Things could be worse," Makoto said to him one day at lunch. "At least Sousuke and Haru no longer hate each other."

Rin sighed. "True."

When Rin had first introduced Sousuke to his friends, he and Haru had taken an instant disliking to each other. They refused to be in the same room together, and stayed as far away from the other as possible when everyone went to the pool. It drove Rin mad, because he knew that if the two idiots could get over whatever issues they had, they would find that they had a lot in common.

Then one weekend Rin had a really bad cold; stuck in bed, sneezing his head off while burning and freezing at the same time. Both Haru and Sousuke had shown up at his doorstep, cans of soup and a stack of movies in hand. Rin told Gou to tell them that if they so much as _thought_ a mean word, they'd be kicked out of the apartment.

It was slow going at first. Haru would cook the soup as Sousuke talked with Rin. Then Sousuke would play with Gou as Haru sat quietly by the bed and listened to Rin's rambling. All seemed at a loss. But then _Jaws_  happened.

Rin hated _Jaws_. Not because it scared him, but because he found it incredibly stupid. Who would try and open a beach club with a shark swimming so close? No logic whatsoever. That didn't seem to matter to his friends, who sat enraptured the whole way through. When Haru silently held up his _Jaws_ _2_ DVD case, Sousuke actually high fived him! (Or at least he tried).

After that the days of glaring and animosity were over. They still ribbed on each other, but now Sousuke laughed and Haru smirked, instead of the two hissing at each other like leaking garden hoses. Life at the Tower had gone from bad to amazing in just one weekend.

Then school happened, and his greedy classmates had stolen Sousuke away.

"Let's just go," Haru said, impatient. "Sasabe-san is draining the pool to clean it and I want to be there for it."

Rin shook his head, clutching his bag strap tight. "No way, the four of us always walk home together."

He glanced over to where his friend stood by the big sakura tree, surrounded by a group of their female classmates. Rin slowly drifted over to them, causing Haru and Makoto to follow.

"Rin.."

"No. I'm waiting for Sousuke."

A chorus of giggles behind them made Rin jump. He turned his head and saw a couple of girls from his class.

"Hey Matsuoka-kun? Do you have a crush on Yamazaki-kun?"

Heat automatically rushed to Rin's face and he tried desperately to beat it down. This wasn't the first time he had heard those words, but back then he had been alone and overheard a hushed conversation. Now he was within shouting distance of his best friend, while his other two friends stood by and watched.

"Me? Have a crush on Sousuke?" Rin nervous–giggled. "No way."

"Really?!"

"But you two are so close!"

Rin shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, so? I mean, the guy has never won at Janken. Who wants to crush on someone who's never won Janken?"

"Who says I'm not just letting you win, Matsuoka?"

Like a storm on a clear summer night, Sousuke had snuck up on the group without their knowledge. His fan club fanned out around him, wide eyes switching back and forth between the two boys.

"Uhh, anyone with eyes? You just stink, man." Rin flashed him a smirk.

Sousuke rolled his shoulders, eyes glittering with determination. Rin silently handed his bag to Makoto and cracked his knuckles. The two had never thrown down in front of an audience before, and Rin was more than a little nervous. The two locked eyes, waited a breath, then shot forward.

"Saisho wa guu! Jan-Ken-Pon!"

-^-

A light knock on the door stole Rei's attention from his reading assignment. He looked at the clock next to his desk to check the time. Both of his parents were still at work, and they hadn't mentioned anyone coming by the apartment. Nagisa's knock was loud and obnoxious, so the bespectacled boy knew it wasn't his energetic friend.

Rei marked the page in his book and went to answer the door, making sure to perform proper protocol.

"Who is it?"

"Yamazaki Sousuke. The butterfly soars over the waterfall."

Satisfied with the security code created specifically for the older boy, Rei allowed him into the apartment.

"Hello, Sousuke," Rei said, closing the door and double checking the locks like his parents had taught him. "How was school today?"

Sousuke groaned and flopped down on the couch, face first. Rei nodded to himself and went to fetch a bottle of water from the kitchen. Ever since the two had been introduced, Rei had grown accustomed to the older boy dropping by when he needed help. He wasn't good with emotions, but he was never lost when it came to logic.

Sousuke took the bottle gratefully and chugged half of it as Rei settled down on the couch next to him.

"How skilled are you at Janken?" Sousuke asked.

Rei tapped his chin as he thought. "The basic mechanics, practice strategies, or the history of the game?"

"I need to know how to beat Rin."

Rei grinned, clapping his hands once. This is what he was good at. Nagisa could have his illogical trick question brain teasers. The boy had yet to find a 'skill' game that he couldn't master the theory of.

"Easy! When was the last time you two played?"

A blush worked its way up the older boy's neck. "After school today."

"And I'm assuming you lost." Sousuke nodded. "Alright. Tell me exactly how the game went."

"Okay. We both started with rock, then matched again with scissors. Then scissors again. Then paper. Then I threw scissors, and Rin threw rock."

Rei had grabbed a notepad and pencil that his father kept by the phone and wrote the scene down. After reviewing it in silence, he began to nod.

"Rock, scissors, scissors, paper," he said slowly. "I think I see what happened."

Sousuke blinked in surprise. "You do?"

"A pattern was established where all three elements were used. Rock, scissors, scissors, paper. Rin repeated the pattern with rock, and won the game. However, you deviated with scissors, and lost." Rei pushed his glasses higher up his face, looking triumphant. "The solution is simple, give or take a few variables."

Sousuke waited for him to continue. When he didn't, he reached over and tugged lightly on a strand of his hair.

"Um, Rei?"

"Right! Sorry." Rei took up the pad and pencil and began to sketch. "You'll need to analyze the pattern that you and Rin create at the beginning of the game. Assuming you both match four times each game before a win is made.." Sousuke nodded his confirmation. "Then here's what you need to do."

He handed over the pad to Sousuke, moving to look over his shoulder as he gestured with his pencil.

"If you start with rock, the same pattern from today is the most likely outcome: rock, scissors, scissors, paper. If this happens, work backwards. Rin will repeat the pattern with rock, meaning that you'll win with paper."

Sousuke nodded, understanding so far.

"The next possible pattern is paper, scissors, rock, scissors. This uses alternating weaknesses: scissors beating paper while rock beats scissors. The same rule of working backwards applies. You win with scissors while Rin loses with paper."

A simple nod this time. It was hard to pay attention when Rei's explanations were so thought out. He hadn't taken Rin seriously when he said the blue haired boy was a genius. He should have more faith sometimes.

"Then there's the tricky one. Scissors, paper, paper, rock, scissors. This breaks the four tie rule by being five, and working backwards won't work since you'll both choose scissors. Then you'd lose when Rin picks paper and you pick rock." Rei took a deep breath. "If this happens, you'll have to throw paper."

A long pause stalled the explanation as Sousuke's tired mind worked through those words.

"But then I'd lose!"

"And Rin will be over confident, so when you challenge him to a rematch he'll readily accept." Rei started to smile an evil smile. "Rin is intelligent, so he'll want to keep things simple so that he doesn't lose due to hubris. So he'll go back to the original pattern and throw rock. Which means you need to match him _six_ times: rock, scissors, scissors, paper, rock, scissors."

"Then Rin will continue and pick scissors.." Sousuke started slowly. "Which means I pick rock since I know the pattern. I win!"

Rei beamed, clasping his hands together. "Oh, Sousuke, this is wonderful! No ones ever fully grasped my strategies, not even my own parents."

"But what about other patterns?" Sousuke said, sipping his water. "I'm pretty decent at maths, so I know there are more."

Rei ducked his head shyly, suddenly no longer a mad theorist. He shifted in his seat, biting his lip. "I might have thought this out a little more when Nagisa introduced me to the game..."

During dinner that night Sousuke fell asleep at the table, dreaming of a mountain of notebooks and scissors eating rocks.

-^-

Sousuke waited a week to put his plan into action. At school he avoided his classmates as politely as possible, sticking close to Rin, Haru and Makoto. Whenever he was caught on his own without Rin, he pretended to be busy looking through his bag, always moving like a shark.

Thankfully, no one teased him about losing the throw down. Not even Haru, who usually loved to taunt him in that monotone voice of his. Rin acted like the incident had never happened, but was visibly pleased whenever Sousuke declined a classmate's request to each lunch together or walk home.

That Friday as class let out, Sousuke met Rin by his desk as the boy was packing up. Rin was incredibly organized, and had to make sure everything was put away properly before they could leave.

Sousuke didn't mind. He liked watching the faces Rin made whenever he encountered a wrinkled homework page or a bent folder corner. His cheeks would puff out just a little, an almost undetectable sign of annoyance, then he would exhale as he attempted to fix it.

 _So cute_ Sousuke thought fondly, then shook his head, embarrassed.

When Rin was finally ready to go the two walked outside and stood by the tall sakura tree. A group of girls passed by them and giggled behind notebooks. Sousuke ignored them, smirking a little at the blush on his friend's cheeks.

"Ne, Rin." Red eyes focused on his, and shoulders relaxed as the familiar sight of teal calmed him. "My parents are visiting my aunt this weekend. You wanna sleep over?"

Rin's face lit up. "Yeah! We can stay up late and watch movies. Maybe even get Nagisa back for that stupid pancake batter instead of shampoo prank he pulled." It was kind of scary how crafty the boy was. How had he even gotten into the apartment?

Sousuke smiled easily as the two began the walk home. A single hop turned into a skip, which turned into a jog. Pretty soon the two were racing, trying not to trip or fall over as they laughed.

-^-

The floor of the Yamazaki living room was covered in blankets, pillows, soda cans and candy wrappers. The two had decided to take a trip to the store before heading home, and spent most of their collective allowance on junk food.

The two lied on their stomachs in front of the television, half watching the action movie that Rin had put in. They were more captivated by their silent game of stealing each other's candy. Sousuke was eyeing up a bag of gummy sharks when Rin's hand shot forward and pounced on his big chocolate chip cookie.

"Arrg!" Sousuke grabbed his wrist, refusing to let Rin bring it back to his side. Rin grabbed the cookie with his other hand and moved it out of reach. Sousuke grabbed his shirt and hauled him forward, hooking an arm around his neck to prevent further escape.

Rin struggled to free himself even as he dissolved into a fit of giggles. He held the treat aloft, snorting when Sousuke tried to stretch his free hand out more than was humanly possible.

"You don't even like chocolate!"

"Do too," Rin said into his shoulder, still giggling. "You've already had a big cookie, Sou."

"Because I bought them!" Sousuke wrapped both arms around his friend, bringing him closer. He didn't try and make a grab yet; Rin's arm would tire soon enough. "And you said you didn't want one when I offered to buy you one."

"Well I didn't want my own, I wanted yours."

Sousuke rolled his eyes. Classic Rin, mooching off of him even when he had his own snacks. He had gotten used to it by now, of course, but a boy had to draw the line somewhere.

They stayed in that awkward position for a while, Rin pressed to Sousuke's chest with his arm extended behind himself. Rin tried to ignore how nice Sousuke smelled, how warm he was, how this prison hold resembled a really long (awkward) hug.

"You gonna let go now?"

"Are you gonna give me my cookie?"

"Heh, nope."

"Then get comfy."

Without warning Sousuke fell sideways then onto his back, bringing Rin down with him. The shorter boy was still cradled to his chest, and his arm was starting to get tired. After a few seconds of contemplation, Rin brought the cookie down and took a big bite.

"S'good," he said smugly. To his surprise Sousuke seemed pleased.

"I picked the ones with reduced sugar. I know you hate when things are too sweet."

An explosion on the tv screen simulated how Rin's mind felt perfectly. Sousuke had known that he would steal his treats, and planned for it. Instead of getting something devious like chocolate with chili powder in it, or squid ink flavored soda made to look like Coke, Sousuke anticipated this moment and bought something he would like.

"Are you crying?" Sousuke asked, sitting them up. "What's wrong? Did I do something?"

Rin hastily wiped at his face. "Not crying. Got candy dust in my eyes."

Sousuke's anxious expression didn't leave his face until Rin had polished off the cookie. After checking him over for injuries, he pushed him aside and made a grab for the gummy sharks.

The night continued on like this. Another movie was put on; a C-rated horror film that wouldn't even scare Makoto. Sousuke laughed at the ridiculous dialogue and low budget effects, trying to get Rin to join in. However, the red eyed boy seemed to be distracted.

"What time is it?" Rin asked out of the blue.

"Almost midnight," Sousuke answered after checking the clock." Why, sleepy already?" He seriously hoped not.

"No way! I wanna show you something." Sousuke raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

"What is it?" Rin got to his feet and started rooting around in his overnight bag. "What are you looking for?"

Instead of answering, Rin held up his swim trunks and goggles. His bright eyes glowed in the darkness of the living room, drawing him in like a ship to a lighthouse.

"Get your gear, Sousuke, we're going night swimming."

-^-

The cool night air had them shivering as soon as they stepped outside. After swiping the gate key from Sadabe-san's office, Sousuke had offered to run back upstairs and grab their jackets. Rin, being the stubborn baby that he was, said it would take too long. Now he was beginning to regret it.

Sousuke gritted his teeth, steeling himself as he prepared to do something stupid. He fixed his cap and goggles, then sprinted towards the pool.

"Sou!"

_**SPLASH!** _

Not to be outdone, and because he was afraid his friend would freeze under there without his help, Rin took a deep breath before running and diving in after him.

The water was so cold! He shut his eyes and focused on holding his breath, not noticing the hand gripping his already numb fingers until he began to move. Sousuke grinned when he opened his eyes, and slowly pulled him along. Rin found that if he paid more attention to moving, instead of the temperature, he found that he could block out the cold.

The two resurfaced at the same time, gasping and giggling.

"At least it's not windy," Sousuke said, causing them to break out in laughter once again.

It should have been difficult to enjoy the pool like this, what with their fingers and toes in danger of falling off. But as they splashed around and took turns doing cannonballs, it could have been summer again.

Eventually they grew tired, and settled for floating on their backs, arms linked like otters so they wouldn't drift apart.

"It's gonna be too cold to swim outside soon," Sousuke said as he floated next to Rin on his back. "Even in the mornings"

"Yeah," Rin sighed. "Which means we'll have to listen to Haru complain silently all winter."

Sousuke chuckled, lightly kicking his feet. The stars were very visible tonight, glittering high above them in a canopy of darkness. It was easy to imagine that they were the only two people in the world right now.

"Ne, Rin. Can I tell you something?"

"Of course, anything."

Sousuke tightened his hold on Rin's arm, pulling him closer until their shoulders were touching.

"I saw you before. Before we met I mean."

"You did? When?" Rin would have remembered seeing Sousuke. He wasn't the kind of guy you could just glance over and ignore. His very presence was like a heavy weight; but instead of feeling suffocated, Rin felt protected, secure. As if Sousuke's energy were covering his own like a warm blanket.

"About a month ago. My parents and I were house hunting and this was our last stop. At first I hated it. I didn't want to share a home with dozens of people. But then I stepped out on the balcony and saw that they had a pool."

He smiled a little, remembering that day. He had been a jerk all day, finding faults in every place that his parents looked at. He didn't want to move, and if he had to be uprooted then he wasn't going to make it easy.

"I saw a bunch of kids that looked close to my age hanging around the pool. At first I only noticed Haru, since he looked like an actual dolphin in a human costume."

Rin giggled, but quieted down so that Sousuke would continue.

"But then I caught sight of your hair before you put your swimming cap on." He could feel a blush turning his face pink. He hoped Rin couldn't see it. "I watched you do that thing with your goggles, and I held my breath when you dived."

Much like Rin was doing now, hanging on his friends every word.

"Then you started swimming butterfly." Sousuke gazed up into the sky, the image of Rin swimming his heart out filling his mind. "I wanted to meet you more than anything. After that, _I_ was the one who was all set to move. I started packing up as soon as we got home, even though we wouldn't be leaving for another month."

Sousuke chuckled softly, but stopped when he heard Rin sniffling. He turned his head to look, but the shorter boy let go of his arm and dove underwater. He waited a beat before paddling over to the side of the pool. Sousuke pulled himself out of the water, teal eyes searching for his friend.

Rin popped up on the other side, wiping the water (tears) from his face. Sousuke noticed him shivering and quickly walked around the pool to stand by him.

"C'mon, let's go back inside."

Rin nodded, taking a deep breath. "Alright. But I get the first shower."

"What?! No way!"

"I'm cold, Sousuke!"

"I jumped in the pool first!"

"Because you're an idiot!"

Sousuke fixed him with a glare, weighing the pros and cons of pushing Rin into the pool and taking off for the apartment. Instead, he did something else.

He took a step back and rolled his shoulders, the telltale sign of an impending throw down. Rin caught on quickly and started cracking his knuckles. Both competitors stared at each other, unblinking. Then—

"Saisho wa guu! Jan-Ken-Pon!"

They both threw out rock, and Sousuke didn't have enough time to go through the list of patterns Rei had made him memorize.

"Aiko desho!"

Another tie, this time with scissors. Sousuke thought back to the throw down last week, and felt a surge of confidence when, on the next turn, they both threw scissors. He saw Rin's eyes widen, and his heartbeat picked up.

 _I could throw scissors next_ , he thought. _However, Rin will expect that since he hasn't thrown paper yet. And he knows that I know it too. So he'll pick paper, thinking I'll pick scissors._

Sure enough, they both picked paper on the next turn. The tip of Rin's tongue peaked out a bit, a sign of his frustration. Sousuke quickly searched his brain for the second pattern, and managed to throw scissors just in time. The next two—rock and scissors—were thrown out in rapid succession.

This time he didn't even think before picking paper, and then paper again. Rin made a sound between a whimper and a whine, bouncing on his feet. Sousuke smirked, feeling confident. Rin was losing his mind; victory was so close he could feel it.

Only after he threw out rock did he realize his fatal error. The next item in this pattern was scissors, which meant that if he matched with Rin again, he would be forced to start over. He could see the goosebumps covering every inch of Rin's skin, and despite the heated battle he knew the other boy must be freezing.

It was too cold to keep going on like this, and there was no way he could ask for a rematch after so many ties. He was going to have to lose on purpose with paper. Sousuke took a moment to say goodbye to his victory, then threw out paper.

He didn't want to look. He really didn't want to look. But he was getting cold and wanted to get the taunting over with so they could go inside. With a heavy sigh Sousuke looked down at his pitiful paper.

And Rin's rock.

For a while they just stared at their hands, silent, not daring to look at each other as the weight of reality sank in.

Impossible, Sousuke thought, but for some reason he heard it in Rei's voice...

  
" _Rei? What's the Nagisa Theory?"_

_Sousuke had spent all day reading and memorizing the younger boy's Janken notebook. His fingers felt numb from the rapid element switching, and he had been ready to call it a day when he turned the last page._

_At the top of the page in the margin were the words The Nagisa Theory. Underneath that were a few lines of text, no pictures or sketches or anything else._

_"Ah," Rei said, taking the notebook from him. "Nagisa helped me calculate the combinations, and think of some patterns. He wrote this in here before he left. I didn't bother reading it, really.."_

_He adjusted his glasses before beginning to read. "In the event that three patterns are used in an intersecting pattern, one or both players will repeat the first move used when the game began."_

_Rei shook his head fondly as he set the notebook aside. "Oh, Nagisa. I'll admit I'm the first one to try and find all possible, logical outcomes to events, but this one is simply impossible."_

  
Sousuke stared at the impossible as he placed his hand over Rin's, commemorating his victory. He took a chance and looked up into Rin's face, to find bright eyes gazing back at him. Before he knew it Sousuke was leaning down towards him, holding his gaze even as his face swam out of focus.

A soft press of lips; light as butterfly wings; as briefly passing as a shooting star. It was perfect.

"What do you think?" Sousuke asked, smiling down at him. "Am I crush worthy now?"

Rin's face flushed bright red. "Stupid, Sousuke." He hid his face in his shoulder, fighting a grin despite his embarrassment.

Sousuke lightly kissed the top of his head, ignoring the smell of chlorine, hugging him closer when a cool breeze washed over them.

"Let's get inside. I'll make some hot cocoa." Sousuke started walking back to the gate, Rin tucked under his arm. " _After_ I take my shower."

"Wait." Rin paused, looking up at him shyly from under his hair. Sousuke smiled a little; shy Rin was too cute to deny. He closed his eyes and bent down to kiss—

_**SPLASH!** _

"Race you upstairs!" Rin shouted over his shoulder, giggling as Sousuke hauled himself out of the pool and sprinted after him.

From his vantage point on the balcony, Haru shook his head, a small smile on his face.

"Idiots."


End file.
